Posted on 29 July 2013
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As we celebrate
Global Tiger Day and await imminent news
from Nepal’s recently completed national
tiger survey, WWF calls on governments of
tiger range countries to commit to a series
of global wild tiger counts. Three comprehensive
counts, in 2016, 2020 and 2022, is the minimum
required to track progress towards the goal
of doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022,
known as TX2. Thorough and repeat counts
are the only definitive way the world will
know the success or failure of TX2.
2016 is the mid-point
between the St. Petersburg Declaration where
the 13 tiger range countries committed to
TX2 and the 2022 end-point for bringing
wild tiger numbers up to 6000. Governments
of the 13 tiger range countries endorsed
the St. Petersburg Declaration and committed
to the TX2 goal at the high-level Tiger
Summit, hosted by the Russian Government
and The World Bank in 2010.
“Tiger range countries
have set an ambitious goal in TX2 and WWF
is committed alongside them to make it a
reality,” said Mike Baltzer, Leader of WWF’s
Tigers Alive Initiative. “To know global
tiger population numbers will be to know
where we are with TX2 and will help understand
what else we need to do together to put
tigers in a safe place by 2022."
Determining the exact
number of tigers in the wild is difficult
as they are notoriously elusive and inhabit
often remote and rugged terrain. For many
countries, carrying out tiger counts has
been prohibitively expensive and time-consuming.
However with improved survey techniques
and equipment, particularly cheaper and
more durable camera traps, countries are
more enabled to carry out these counts.
Using these techniques,India
and Nepal have for the first time conducted
a joint survey in the Terai Arc Landscape
that spans the two countries. Conducted
early this year and covering protected areas,
critical forest corridors, community forests,
reserve forests and buffer zones, the joint
effort marks a milestone in Indo-Nepal trans-boundary
wildlife research and monitoring collaboration.
The Nepal Government will be releasing results
of the survey from areas within its Terai
Arc Landscape boundary today, and a joint
tiger status report will be issued later
in the year.
The two countries together
with Russia are continuously assessing their
wild tiger populations with results indicating
that tiger numbers in those countries are
beginning to stabilise, if not increase.
While this indicates we are on track towards
TX2 in some countries, the same may or may
not hold true in the other tiger range countries.
“It is critical for
the success of reaching TX2 that we know
tiger numbers and their distribution in
all 13 tiger range countries,” said Mr.
Baltzer. “Determining the global tiger population
in 2016 and 2020 will promote the TX2 goal,
renew global focus and mobilize resources
to boost populations in sites that are lagging
behind. This is critical in making the 2022
goal a reality and therefore the survival
of the tiger.”
Experts from each tiger
range country would need to agree on, as
soon as possible, the methods and approaches
to make this the first truly global census
of wild tigers. Additionally, significant
resources will need to be sourced and allocated
for the task in each country. Survey results
should then be the focus of a major high-level
meeting of government heads that would entail
an acknowledgement of progress, or lack
thereof, and a re-commitment made towards
TX2 at the half-way point.
Notes to Editors
The 13 tiger range countries had agreed
on creating Global Tiger Day at the Tiger
Summit, held in November 2010 in St. Petersburg,
Russia. Celebrated annually on 29 July,
it aims to raise awareness of and support
for conservation of wild tigers.
Several countries are observing Global Tiger
Day with a number of activities. They include:
Bhutan: WWF and the Department of Forests
& Park Services under the Ministry of
Agriculture and Forests, will celebrate
Tiger Day at Norbuling Middle Secondary
School in Sarpang district in the south
of Bhutan, which contains several protected
areas – Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary, Jigme
Singye Wangchuck National Park and Royal
Manas National Park. There will be a host
of activities, including cultural performances
and art and ski competitions, under the
theme “Empowering Local Communities for
Tiger Conservation”. Local communities,
school children, teachers, monks, the business
community, heads of institutions, counterparts
from India, as well as multi-profile dignitaries,
will join in the celebration.
China: The State Forestry Administration
of China, with support from WWF China and
other agencies, will hold the “International
Workshop for Transboundary Conservation
of Tiger and Other Endangered Species, and
the Strategy of Combating Illegal Wildlife
Trade” on Global Tiger Day till World Ranger
Day on 31 July, in Kunming.
India: WWF India is holding five events
simultaneously in four tiger landscapes
to honour the forest guards highlighted
in the Cards4tigers action (www.panda.org/cards4tigers),
as well as raise awareness of the vital
and challenging work they do for tiger conservation.
All the events will be held jointly with
the local state Forest Departments. For
instance, in Arunachal Pradesh, the Parliamentary
Secretary (Department of Science and Technology)
and Divisional Forest Officer of the Pakke
Tiger Reserve will present postcards received
from around the world to the Reserve’s Strike
Force. They will also be given drawings
and essays done by four schools in the state.
In Mandla District of the Satpuda Maikal
Landscape, a rally will be held to raise
awareness about the work that forest guards
are doing, followed by day long activities
with school and college students.
Nepal: A high-level meeting will be held
with the National Tiger Conservation Committee
(NTCC), chaired by Prime Minister Khil Raj
Regmi, for a briefing on the results from
the recently concluded tiger count in the
Terai Arc Landscape. It will be followed
by a media event in Kathmandu, the capital
city, to officially release the results
by the Government of Nepal. WWF Nepal is
a member of the NTCC. It will launch a special
photo story, “A day in the life of a tiger
tracker”, and a PSA (public service announcement)
featuring popular local actor and WWF Nepal’s
Goodwill Ambassador, Rajesh Hamal, urging
the public to take action against wildlife
crime.
Singapore: WWF Singapore is running a special
I FOR TIGERS campaign in celebration of
Global Tiger Day. Through this campaign,
people can celebrate their personal challenges,
milestones and events in support of tigers.
Supporters of tiger conservation can come
up with their own fundraising page atwww.i4tigers.com.
UK: July sees the launch of a partnership
between Whiskas®, the UK’s number 1
cat care brand, and WWF-UK. Through the
charity activation, which is the biggest
in Whiskas’ history, Whiskas will support
WWF’s global tiger conservation efforts.
As part of the campaign, a donation from
every special pack of Whiskas sold will
go towards helping to protect wild tigers.
Across the coming year, the funds raised
by Whiskas will have a particular focus
on supporting the daily work of WWF in the
Terai Arc region of Nepal as well as providing
much needed funds for our global Tigers
Alive initiative. For more visit https://www.whiskas.co.uk/wwf/
+ More
Nepal records remarkable
growth in tiger numbers
Posted on 29 July 2013
Kathmandu, Nepal – An encouraging announcement
from the Government of Nepal on Global Tiger
Day put the number of wild tigers in the
country at 198 (163 - 235). This marks an
increase in the population by 63% from the
last survey in 2009.
“Nepal’s results are
an important milestone to reaching the global
TX2 goal of doubling the number of wild
tigers by the year 2022,” stated Megh Bahadur
Pandey, Director General of Nepal’s Department
of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.
“Tigers are a part of Nepal’s natural wealth
and we are committed to ensuring these magnificent
wild cats have the prey, protection and
space to thrive.”
Tigers are found in
the Terai Arc Landscape stretching 600 miles
across 15 protected area networks in Nepal
and India. The two countries embarked on
the first-ever joint tiger survey using
a common methodology in January 2013. In
Nepal, the field survey was carried out
between February and June 2013 followed
by two months of data analysis to arrive
at the final estimates. It was agreed by
the two governments that each country could
release its national estimates and that
a joint report will be released later in
the year to provide a landscape-wide estimation
of tiger populations and a better understanding
of tiger movements in the trans-boundary
landscape.
Nepal’s analysis covered
five protected areas and three corridors.
It revealed tiger populations have tripled
in Bardia National Park, from 18 (17 - 29)
in 2009 to 50 (45 - 55), and doubled in
Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, from 8 (8
- 14) in 2009 to 17 (13 - 21). Tiger numbers
in Chitwan National Park, home to the country’s
largest number of wild tigers, have also
increased, from 91 (71 - 147) in 2009 to
120 (98 - 139). The results have also shown
a comeback of tigers in the recently declared
Banke National Park with the presence of
4 (3 - 7) tigers.
“While we celebrate
the positive results from this tiger survey,
WWF calls on the government of Nepal to
redouble efforts to protect these conservation
gains that could easily be lost as human-tiger
conflict increases and illegal wildlife
trade empties our forests,” stated Anil
Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF
Nepal. “Tigers are an iconic symbol of wild
nature and WWF will continue to work closely
with the government, conservation partners
and local communities in Nepal to get to
TX2.”
The tiger and prey-base
survey was a collaborative effort of the
Government of Nepal’s Department of National
Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Department
of Forests, WWF Nepal and National Trust
for Nature Conservation. It was funded by
WWF UK, WWF Australia, WWF US, Leonardo
DiCaprio Foundation, Hariyo Ban Program
(funded by USAID), and US Fish and Wildlife
Service.
+ More
The Day Tutuwalu Visited
Yadua
Posted on 30 July 2013
The rare sighting of the world’s largest
turtle specie, thought to be long gone from
Fiji waters has reinvigorated turtle monitoring
efforts on Yadua Island, Bua province.
The leatherback sea
turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea) also known
as the lute turtle or in Fijian as Tutuwalu
can grow up to three meters long and weigh
a ton or as much as a small car, was spotted
by islanders as they scuba dived for beach-de-mer
on May 8.
Special Half Hour
“I thought it was a
giant stingray because it was unlike anything
I had ever seen before,” Atama Ravulo said.
“It was amazing to observe,
30 meters down in the deep blue.”
Coincidently, Josua
Muakula, a turtle monitor, was Atama’s buddy
diver on that seemingly magical day.
In the deep, the two
divers just looked at each other and back
at the giant reptilian that swam between
them.
And as the leatherback
ascended, Muakula followed it to the surface.
“I couldn’t even see
the bottom of the boat, this turtle was
so big and as it hit the surface it just
floated near the front of our outboard,”
Muakula said.
The diving outing came
to a standstill, as the divers in the outboard
stared, transfixed by the leatherback.
For Muakula the leatherback
or Vonu Dakulaca is that rare find. As a
turtle monitor, Muakula learns about all
the different sea turtle species that forage
in the world’s oceans but so far at Yadua
he has only witnessed green and hawksbill
turtles.
According to fisheries
records the last reported leatherback sighting
in Fiji waters was back in1970 off Kia island
in the northern division.
There have been anecdotal
observations over the years, but no official
records have been kept.
“To see it for real
was just special,” Muakula said.
“You learn so much about
this amazing turtle, the most unique of
the turtle species and after years of doing
turtle monitoring work, it was a rewarding
sight.
“We tried to catch it
so that we could tag it but the sea was
just a bit rough and half hour later it
dived and was gone.”
A Unique Deep Diver
Of all the turtle species,
the leatherback makes the deepest dives,
even deeper than many whale species at depths
of 1,280 meters.
Its anatomical characteristics
make this turtle specially adapted to feeding
in the colder waters of the Atlantic Ocean
where they prey on jellyfish, unlike other
sea turtles.
With a tear drop shaped
body, Tutuwalu is reportedly the fastest
reptile on the planet, moving through the
oceans propelled by its gigantic flippers,
at speeds of more than 30 kilometers per
hour.
And unlike other turtle
species it doesn’t have a hard outer shell,
which is composed of a layer of thin, tough,
rubbery skin, strengthened by thousands
of tiny bone plates that makes it look "leathery."
This ancient creature
owes its name to its shell.
Not Since the 1970s
The last official recorded
sighting of the Tutuwalu was two decades
ago.
“That’s how rare it
is but it used to be one of the turtle species
frequently spotted in Fiji dating back to
the sandalwood days,” Sunia Waqainabete
said.
“It may have been driven
out by overharvesting.”
Waqainabete is the chairperson
of the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas
Network.
“It’s quite a find and
can be viewed as plus for the work of conservation
because we are beginning to witnesses marine
resources that had disappeared returning
to our shores,” he said.
“What we are doing is
not being in vain but is bearing impact.”
For the turtle monitors,
seeing the leatherback brought to life all
the images they had sighted of this unique
turtle specie during turtle monitors workshops
held with the Marine Species team from WWF
South Pacific.
Pita Qarau, leading
the turtle conservation drive on Yadua island
said the leatherback sighting was a flag
raising of sorts because it renewed passion
and pushed turtle monitoring efforts to
another level.
“When you see such things,
you know that the heavens are smiling down
on your efforts and you know in your heart
that you are doing the right thing,” he
said.
Turtle conservation
work began on Yadua Island in 2010 with
the setup of the Dau Ni Vonu network that
is coordinated by the WWF South Pacific
Marine Species Program.
Since then increases
have been noted in the number of turtle
nests and nesting sites, as islanders have
committed to a no-take approach and abstinence
from turtle meat and eggs, protecting sites
from poachers and coastal erosion.
Turtle monitors are
actively involved in monitoring hatch rates
and keeping seagrass beds healthy with beach
cleanups.
Tutuwalu has long gone
from Yadua but this turtles story continues
to entertain the tanoa sessions, mesmerise
island children and keep conservation spirits
alive.
